Agricultural Scientists are being urged to build on the legacy of renowned scientist, Dr. Thomas P. Lecky, as a strategy to further advance agriculture and strengthen the breeding population for cattle and ruminants in Jamaica. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon Pearnel Charles Jr., has said this will ultimately help to achieve food security and create a more resilient livestock...

Approximately 530 youth were placed on short-term employment with various private-sector companies for six months each during fiscal year 2022/23. This was facilitated through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Social Intervention Programme (SIP) and allowed them to gain valuable work experience and earn an income. Some 33 per cent of these young people came from households supported by...

Teachers are being encouraged not to fear the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) but to leverage the technology to supplement the teaching-learning process. Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, says despite the notion that AI software is poised to automate a number of jobs globally, it is unlikely that the technology will replace teachers in the classroom. Artificial...

The Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) now has the power to verify businesses’ membership and beneficial ownership information, as outlined in recent amendments to the Companies Act that took effect on April 1, 2023. Registrar of Companies and Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the COJ, Shellie Leon, explained that prior to the change, “someone would file documents with the...

The paint manufacturing company Sherwin-Williams is being hailed for its entrepreneurial and community outreach values by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill. Minister Hill, who was speaking at the company’s unveiling of its 50th Anniversary Logo, and factory tour in White Marl, St. Catherine on April 26, said people stay at Sherwin-Williams because “they can...

Approximately $253 million in grants was spent under the Rehabilitation Programme to assist 5,648 families for the first 11 months of the 2022/2023 fiscal year. In addition, under the Special Economic Relief Programme (SERP), grant payments totalling $169 million were made to just under 17,000 persons who were not registered under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH)....

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, through the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), provided income support of $9.5 billion to 130,000 families during fiscal year 2022/23. Of this amount, approximately $2 billion was spent on back-to-school grants for PATH students. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2023/24 Sectoral Debate...